Privacy Policy

The visitottawapasses.ca (the “Website”) is operated by Ottawa Tourism. Pass purchases, fulfilment, and redemption are facilitated through an embedded platform powered by Bandwango. Ottawa Tourism may access and use customer information generated through this platform for program administration, reporting, analytics, and marketing communications where consent has been provided. Bandwango acts as a service provider and processes personal information on behalf of Ottawa Tourism.

Ottawa Tourism recognizes and respects that the security of your personal information is an important part of your experience on the Website. This privacy policy (the “Privacy Policy”) outlines the information which Ottawa Tourism will collect from you on the Website and how Ottawa Tourism will use that information.

Certain communications, promotions, contests, surveys, and offers described in this Privacy Policy may be delivered by Ottawa Tourism via email as part of broader Ottawa Tourism initiatives and may not be hosted or executed directly on the Website.

The following privacy policy has been developed to comply with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”). By visiting the Website you are accepting the practices described in this Privacy Policy and agree, without limitation or qualification, to be bound by this Privacy Policy.

Additionally, where Ottawa Tourism processes personal data of individuals located in the European Economic Area (“EEA”) and/or the United Kingdom (“UK”), such processing will be carried out in accordance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”) as supplemented by the Data Protection Act 2018 (the “DPA”), as applicable. This includes circumstances where individuals located in the EEA and UK interact with our Website or engage with digital advertising campaigns related to the Visit Ottawa Passes program.

We reserve the right to change this Privacy Policy from time to time by updating this posting. Please check this Privacy Policy periodically for changes. Your continued use of this site following the posting of changes to this Privacy Policy will mean you accept those changes.

This Privacy Policy was last updated as of 2026.

Definitions

“Personal Information” means any information about an identifiable individual including but not limited to the individual’s name, mailing or email address, telephone number, age, gender, interests, opinions, suggestions, social media handles, and language preference.

Purposes

Ottawa Tourism will collect, use and disclose Personal Information for the following purposes:

• to administer and operate the Visit Ottawa Passes program;
• to manage and evaluate pass purchases, fulfilment, and redemption;
• to perform analytics, reporting, and program evaluation related to Visit Ottawa Passes, including opt‑in surveys;
• to advertise and promote the Visit Ottawa Passes program and manage related marketing communications where users have provided consent; and
• to ensure the security of Ottawa Tourism’s computer systems.

Ottawa Tourism may collect Personal Information directly through the Website where users choose to provide it, and indirectly through third‑party service providers used to operate the Visit Ottawa Passes program, including the embedded purchase platform. Ottawa Tourism limits the collection and use of Personal Information to what is necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. Marketing communications are sent only where users have provided consent.

Legal Basis for Processing

Where the GDPR or the UK GDPR as supplemented by the DPA applies, Ottawa Tourism will only process personal data where a lawful basis exists. Depending on the context, Ottawa Tourism may rely on one or more of the following legal bases:

• consent: where you have provided consent to receive communications, participate in promotions, or allow the use of cookies or similar technologies;
• contractual obligation: where processing is necessary to operate the Visit Ottawa Passes program, including pass purchases, fulfilment, redemption, surveys, and related administrative activities;
• legal obligation: where processing is required to comply with applicable laws or regulatory requirements; and
• vital interests: where processing is necessary for legitimate business interests such as improving website functionality, conducting analytics, ensuring system security, or evaluating marketing effectiveness.

Collection of Personal Information

Visitors may browse the Website without submitting Personal Information. Personal Information is collected in connection with the operation of the Visit Ottawa Passes program, including where users purchase passes through the embedded platform or opt in to receive marketing communications or surveys. Ottawa Tourism limits the collection of Personal Information to what is necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

If you are under eighteen (18) years of age, your parent’s or guardian’s permission will be required before any information is provided to our Website.

Collection of Non-Identifiable Information

As it is typical of many websites, Ottawa Tourism’s Website automatically collects certain anonymous and non-identifiable information regarding its users, such as the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer, the IP address of your Internet Service Provider, Google cookie ID, the date and time you access the Website, the Internet address of the website from which you linked directly to our Website, the operating system and browser type you are using, the paid advertisement (and the location of the advertisement) that you saw before visiting the Website, the sections of the Website you visit, the Website pages read and images viewed, and any content you download (collectively the “Non-Identifiable Information”).

The Non-Identifiable Information collected may be used for research and analytical purposes, as well as for Website and system administration and improving Website functionality and performance, including session based interaction analysis.

Where required by law and based on user consent preferences, our analytics tools may operate in a restricted mode that does not use cookies or store personal identifiers, while still collecting limited, aggregated information for measurement and system functionality purposes. 

We may disclose the Non-Identifiable Information to others and permanently archive it for future use.

Ottawa Tourism also employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information or otherwise cause damage. This software receives and records the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computer that has contacted our Website, the date and time of the visit and the pages visited. Ottawa Tourism will make no attempts to link these addresses with the identity of individuals visiting our Website unless an attempt to damage Ottawa Tourism’s Website has been detected.

Information Collected by “Cookies”

Ottawa Tourism’s Website uses “cookies”, a technology that installs information on a website user’s computer to permit the Website to recognize future visits by that computer. Cookies enhance the convenience and use of the Website.

Cookies do not contain any personally identifying information. They cannot view or retrieve data from other cookies, nor can they capture files and data stored on your computer. You may reset your computer’s browser to accept or block cookies, or allow your computer’s browser to show you when a cookie is being sent. If you choose not to accept cookies from Ottawa Tourism or its partners or advertisers, your experience at our site and other websites may be diminished and some features may not work as intended.

Where required by law, including in the EEA and UK, Ottawa Tourism will obtain your consent before placing non-essential cookies or similar tracking technologies on your device. Consent may be collected through a Consent Management Platform (“CMP”), which informs users about the categories of cookies used on our Website and enables them to accept or decline them. You may manage or withdraw your consent at any time through the available cookie preference tools.

Advertising and Marketing Partners

Ottawa Tourism may collaborate with advertising and marketing partners in connection with promoting tourism and related initiatives. These partners may use cookies, pixels, tags, or similar technologies to collect information about users’ interactions with our Website and digital advertising campaigns. These partners may also engage third-party advertising technology providers to support advertisement related services.

Advertisements displayed on our Website may also contain cookies. Those advertisements may be provided by third party advertising companies, and we do not have any control over, or any responsibility or liability for, the cookies used in the advertisements or for the use and disclosure of information collected through these advertisement cookies.

Where required by applicable law, Ottawa Tourism requires that all advertising technologies and tracking pixels be deployed only after the user has provided valid consent through the Website’s CPM or cookie banner.

Advertising partners and third-party technology providers are required to process users’ information solely for the purposes authorized by Ottawa Tourism, and in accordance with applicable confidentiality, security, and data protection requirements, including GDPR requirements where applicable.

Electronic Newsletters

Ottawa Tourism offers valuable and timely information about attractions, upcoming events, must-do activities, special offers and contests in our electronic newsletter based upon your voluntary subscription. You will only receive an electronic newsletter if you have requested it (opt-in) by providing your email address. We do not share our mailing lists with any third parties, including advertisers or partners. You can unsubscribe (opt-out) from our electronic newsletter at any time.

Contests

Users participating in Ottawa Tourism’s contests may be required to submit varying degrees of Personal Information, depending upon the nature of the particular contest. The specific information to be collected and how it will be used will be disclosed in the general contest rules and regulations and/or in the referring contest page or newsletter.

Promotional Offers

Ottawa Tourism may sell goods and services to the consumer public on behalf of member companies. Ottawa Tourism assumes no responsibility for cancellation or postponement of goods or services sold for any reason. Information is accurate at time of posting, is valid only for dates indicated, and is subject to change and availability. Unless otherwise specified, prices are quoted in Canadian dollars. Rates will vary depending upon time of booking. Taxes on goods sold are not necessarily included in the published offer.

Online Surveys

From time to time, Ottawa Tourism will conduct online surveys for internal purposes or for third parties, to gather general information about users and/or their views. Participation in these surveys is voluntary; no information will be collected except that which is knowingly supplied by the user and the information collected throughout the survey will be used only for the survey purpose. Identifying Personal Information will not be shared.

Safeguards to Protect your Personal Information

Ottawa Tourism will protect your Personal Information against loss or theft, as well as from unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use or modification by implementing technical and organisational measures. Ottawa Tourism will protect your Personal Information regardless of the format in which it is held, in accordance with all applicable laws.

Ottawa Tourism will use appropriate security safeguards to provide necessary protection such as:

• physical measures (locked filing cabinets, restricting access to offices, alarm systems);
• technological tools (passwords, encryption, firewalls);
• organizational controls (security clearances, limiting access on a “need-to-know” basis, staff training, and confidentiality agreements); and
• policy measures (it policy, security policy).

Ottawa Tourism will consider the following factors in selecting appropriate safeguards:

• the sensitivity of the information;
• the amount of information;
• the extent of distribution;
• the format of the information (electronic, paper, etc.); and
• the type of storage.

Transfer of Personal Information

Personal Information collected through our Website may be stored or processed in Canada or other jurisdictions where Ottawa Tourism or its service providers operate. Where Personal Information of individuals located in the EEA and/or UK is transferred internationally, Ottawa Tourism will take reasonable steps to ensure appropriate security safeguards are implemented in accordance with GDPR, UK GDPR and the DPA.

Retention of Personal Information

Ottawa Tourism retains Personal Information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including the administration of contests, distribution of communications, evaluation of marketing campaigns, and compliance with legal obligations.

Rights of Individuals Located in the EEA and UK

Individuals located in the EEA and the UK might have certain rights under the GDPR, the UK GDPR and the DPA such as the right to:

• access Personal Information in a readable format;
• rectify Personal Information previously provided;
• request deletion of Personal Information in certain circumstances;
• restrict or object to certain processing activities;
• request the transfer of Personal Information to another service provider; and
• withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.

Any such requests may be submitted to the contact information provided below.

Consent to this Agreement

By using the website and, in particular, by subscribing to our newsletter or participating in our online contests and surveys, you consent to the collection and use of the information as described above and for the purposes noted above. If an alternative purpose for your information is identified other than what is set out in this privacy policy or on our Website where the information is collected, we will contact you to obtain your consent for the new purpose.

Any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or Ottawa Tourism’s information handling practises may be submitted to Ottawa Tourism at webmaster@ottawatourism.ca.

Complaints

If you believe that Ottawa Tourism has not handled your personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

• For individuals in the UK, you may contact the Information Commissioner’s Office: https://ico.org.uk, Phone: +44 303 123 1113.
• For individuals in the EEA, you may contact your local supervisory authority.

We encourage you to contact us first using the information provided above so that we can address your concerns directly.